Controlling the nanostructure of bismuth telluride by selective chemical vapour deposition from a single source precursor

Abstract

High quality, nanostructured Bi₂Te₃, with an unprecedented degree of positional and orientational control of the material form on the nanoscale, is readily obtained by low pressure chemical vapour deposition using a new molecular precursor. This system offers a convenient method that delivers key structural requirements necessary to improve the thermoelectric efficiency of Bi₂Te₃ and to develop the nascent field of topological insulators.